Title

Author

Date of Award

Degree Type

Degree Name

Department

Public Health

First Advisor

John R. Lutzker - Committee Chair

Second Advisor

Dan Whitaker - Committee Member

Third Advisor

Shannon Self-Brown - Committee Member

Abstract

Innovative handheld technologies are changing the possibilities for delivering public health interventions. The present research describes a preliminary examination of the effects of iPhone™ both as an assessment tool for data collection and as an enhancement to an in-home child safety intervention. Three families with children under age seven were trained to use an iPhone to video targeted rooms in their homes following SafeCare® safety module intervention implementation during which rooms were secured for accessible safety and health hazards. The iPhone was used to communicate feedback, logistical information, and clarification of safety content. The effectiveness of iPhone and iPhone video was examined using a multiple baseline design across settings replicated across families. All rooms across subjects demonstrated significant decreases in home hazards. Face-to-face (F2F), in-home time of the home visitor was progressively reduced and replaced by video data collection over the course of the intervention. These data suggest that handheld technology tools are a promising means of data collection for in situ safety interventions and for augmenting interaction during intervention. Implications of these findings for reducing costs of F2F intervention as high-quality handheld video capabilities become increasingly ubiquitous and for engaging and retaining participants are discussed.